I've been reading Law School Confidential, and I found a list of questions that I would love to have answered about UIUC. So if you don't mind answering some of these questions for us, I think it would benefit us all. I already have my heart set on UIUC, but it would be great to know more about it before I commit.

1. Are grades posted on the hallway walls in some identifiable manner? (e.g. names, ID)2. Are GPAs/class ranks published each term?3. Does the career placement office assign employment interview slots by class rank, allow employers to select which students to interview according to class rank, or do students choose which employers to interview with?4. How often do books used for common assignments go missing?5. Do students share outlines/help each other out?6. Is there a place where students go to hang out between classes?

I've been reading Law School Confidential, and I found a list of questions that I would love to have answered about UIUC. So if you don't mind answering some of these questions for us, I think it would benefit us all. I already have my heart set on UIUC, but it would be great to know more about it before I commit.

1. Are grades posted on the hallway walls in some identifiable manner? (e.g. names, ID)2. Are GPAs/class ranks published each term?3. Does the career placement office assign employment interview slots by class rank, allow employers to select which students to interview according to class rank, or do students choose which employers to interview with?

I'm gonna let someone else answer this, but I believe the answer is yes. And the list may be on the course site, not in a physical location. But again, I'm just guessing based on how they usually do stuff here.

4. How often do books used for common assignments go missing?

Not that often, and it's usually because someone else is actually using the book, not because someone's hiding them. The thing about hiding library books is that you can find 99% of what you need via online databases, so hiding books an anachronistic and pointless exercise.

5. Do students share outlines/help each other out?

Yes. Some of them share outlines. I would say most help each other out, certainly.

6. Is there a place where students go to hang out between classes?

Yes. There are a couple. Many go to the library to study, but if you want there is a tiny cafeteria and also a large indoor courtyard with couches and tables where people like to chill between classes.

I've been reading Law School Confidential, and I found a list of questions that I would love to have answered about UIUC. So if you don't mind answering some of these questions for us, I think it would benefit us all. I already have my heart set on UIUC, but it would be great to know more about it before I commit.

1. Are grades posted on the hallway walls in some identifiable manner? (e.g. names, ID)2. Are GPAs/class ranks published each term?3. Does the career placement office assign employment interview slots by class rank, allow employers to select which students to interview according to class rank, or do students choose which employers to interview with?4. How often do books used for common assignments go missing?5. Do students share outlines/help each other out?6. Is there a place where students go to hang out between classes?

Thanks again!

1. No, grades are never, ever posted publicly. You log into a secure U of I system (the same place you register for classes, deal with financial aid, etc.) to get your grades.

2. GPA is calculated by the online system where you get your grades, so only you have access to this. Class ranks and honors (e.g. Dean's list) are sent to students individually via email. Individual rankings and GPA are never made public, however, the GPA cutoffs for cumulative and individual semester rankings are made public (e.g. top 33% = 3.44 my 1L year)

3. Our OCI is primarily pre-select, meaning you submit your resume through the online Symplicity system to the employers coming to campus, and they are able to review all the resumes and choose the students they wish to interview. There are also a few lottery slots for each employer and those are assigned randomly (not GPA or rank dependent) based on where you place your bids during OCI.

4. In two and a half years I have never actually had to use a common book for an assignment. Any book you will need for your classes you will purchase (normally casebooks). If there is additional suggested reading, the profs will put it on reserve. You can check these books out for a few hours at a time and are charged hefty fees if you return them even a few minutes late. But anything that you really need to rely on for an assignment is likely to be something you are encouraged to purchase.

That being said, if what you're really asking is "how big of assholes will my future classmates be?" you really don't have anything to worry about. I've yet to hear any Paper Chase-esque horror stories about books disappearing, mostly because Westlaw and Lexis make many of the books in the library redundant (edit: and, as HMK says below, things aren't insanely competitive. Everyone really looks out for everyone else for the most part)

5. Yes, people share outlines all the time and study groups are common. Many of the student organizations collect outlines for their 1L members and distribute them each semester.

6. There is a large indoor pavilion area where we just got new couches and chairs - that's probably where you'll find most people socializing. Otherwise they are in the cafeteria or in the library reading for class.

Last edited by ChattelCat on Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Grades and class ranks with names are absolutely 100% NOT published anywhere. The only thing that you are made aware of is the actual cut-offs for your class. Dean Vermillion will email out what the gpa cut-offs are in a list, NOT who made them. So she will send something out after every semester that says: top 10%= 3.7, top 1/3=3.4, etc. I think CALI awards might be the only thing that you can find out about publicly. If you CALI a class, you are the student who made the highest grade in that class, so you are recognized by your professor and given a "CALI" award.

I am also on board with cat's answers. Bottom line= there is none of that vindictive competitiveness here. Everyone is really friendly and we are all a family here really. People have study groups, share outlines, email each other notes if someone misses a class, etc. If you are coming to law school here STOP reading all the books like Planet Law School and watching movies like Paper Chase because that is not at all how it is here. People who want to be overly competitive, mean, snotty, or condescending will ostrascize themselves quickly here because that is not at all how our students act. We are on softball teams and dart leagues together. We go to pubs and other hang outs together. I am inviting 20 of my law school friends to my wedding in Texas! These are some of the most friendly, intelligent, decent, authentic, and level headed people you will ever meet. We work hard, but we play hard too. There is really an awesome balance here between law school and beig a normal human being with a social life. I cannot speak for every law school... But I will say that I read all the books and the forums for two years, and I completely freaked myself out before coming to law school. I should have never done that because it was all wrong and caused me a bunch of unnecessary anxiety lol. Law school is fun here and I have honestly had the time of my life. Yeah, finals are intense and the work is difficult. It's still law school, and everyone here is really smart. However, I am honestly sad that I am graduating this year and leaving all of this behind because I have loved it.

Last edited by hkm6315 on Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

hkm6315 wrote:I am also on board with cat's answers. Bottom line= there is none of that vindictive competitiveness here. Everyone is really friendly and we are all a family here really. People have study groups, share outlines, email each other notes if someone misses a class, etc. If you are coming to law school here STOP reading all the books like Plane Law School and watching movieslike Paper Chase because that is not at all how it is here. People who want to be overly competitive, mean, snotty, or condescending will ostrascize themselves quickly here because that is not at all how our students act. We are on softball teams and dart leagues together. We go to pubs and other hang outs together. I am inviting 20 of my law school friends to my wedding in Texas! These are some of the most friendly, intelligent, decent, authentic, and level headed people you will ever meet. We work hard, but we play hard too. There is really an awesome balance here between law school and beig a normal human being with a social life. I cannot speak for every law school... But I will say that I read all the books and the forums for two years and completely freaked myself out before coming to law school. I should have never done that because it was all wrong and caused me a bunch of unnecessary anxiety lol. Law school is fun here and I have honestly had the time of my life. Yeah, finals are intense and the work is difficult. It's still law school and everyone here is really smart. However, I am honestly sad that I am graduating this year and leaving all of this behind because I have loved it.

hkm6315 wrote:I am also on board with cat's answers. Bottom line= there is none of that vindictive competitiveness here. Everyone is really friendly and we are all a family here really. People have study groups, share outlines, email each other notes if someone misses a class, etc. If you are coming to law school here STOP reading all the books like Plane Law School and watching movieslike Paper Chase because that is not at all how it is here. People who want to be overly competitive, mean, snotty, or condescending will ostrascize themselves quickly here because that is not at all how our students act. We are on softball teams and dart leagues together. We go to pubs and other hang outs together. I am inviting 20 of my law school friends to my wedding in Texas! These are some of the most friendly, intelligent, decent, authentic, and level headed people you will ever meet. We work hard, but we play hard too. There is really an awesome balance here between law school and beig a normal human being with a social life. I cannot speak for every law school... But I will say that I read all the books and the forums for two years and completely freaked myself out before coming to law school. I should have never done that because it was all wrong and caused me a bunch of unnecessary anxiety lol. Law school is fun here and I have honestly had the time of my life. Yeah, finals are intense and the work is difficult. It's still law school and everyone here is really smart. However, I am honestly sad that I am graduating this year and leaving all of this behind because I have loved it.

hkm6315 wrote:I am also on board with cat's answers. Bottom line= there is none of that vindictive competitiveness here. Everyone is really friendly and we are all a family here really. People have study groups, share outlines, email each other notes if someone misses a class, etc. If you are coming to law school here STOP reading all the books like Plane Law School and watching movieslike Paper Chase because that is not at all how it is here. People who want to be overly competitive, mean, snotty, or condescending will ostrascize themselves quickly here because that is not at all how our students act. We are on softball teams and dart leagues together. We go to pubs and other hang outs together. I am inviting 20 of my law school friends to my wedding in Texas! These are some of the most friendly, intelligent, decent, authentic, and level headed people you will ever meet. We work hard, but we play hard too. There is really an awesome balance here between law school and beig a normal human being with a social life. I cannot speak for every law school... But I will say that I read all the books and the forums for two years and completely freaked myself out before coming to law school. I should have never done that because it was all wrong and caused me a bunch of unnecessary anxiety lol. Law school is fun here and I have honestly had the time of my life. Yeah, finals are intense and the work is difficult. It's still law school and everyone here is really smart. However, I am honestly sad that I am graduating this year and leaving all of this behind because I have loved it.

Hi! Recently accepted to Illinois, which was my biggest reach (huge, huge reach haha), so I am THRILLED and 98% sure I'll be there in August. I've never even been to Illinois, though. I live in south Florida, so its going to be a HUGE change for me, no doubt. (My fav. professor/mentor attended Illinois Law, and she is who really got me into it). My boyfriend will be coming with me. He is graduating with a business degree and worried about finding a job there. I was wondering what the job market is like in UC for someone like him? He would be okay managing a bar or doing something along those lines as long as he was making enough to support both of us (not including my law school tuition). We have some friends up there from highschool that play on the Illinois football team so we are going to be BIG supporters! Are the law students big into the football team? Tailgates, etc? Thanks!!

CrimLaw300 wrote:How are the job prospects coming out of Illinois if you want to work in Texas?

Very interested in the answer to this, as well!

Dean Smith was telling us about some very successful grads that we have in the Dallas area. I'm not planning on returning to Texas, so I didn't ask him more about them... but apparently we have several alumni in that area that have done well for themselves. The impression I get is that most of our grads who end up practicing in Texas do so in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You would need to send an email to someone in career services, or maybe Dean Pless could steer you in the right direction.

Barbie wrote:Hi! Recently accepted to Illinois, which was my biggest reach (huge, huge reach haha), so I am THRILLED and 98% sure I'll be there in August. I've never even been to Illinois, though. I live in south Florida, so its going to be a HUGE change for me, no doubt. (My fav. professor/mentor attended Illinois Law, and she is who really got me into it). My boyfriend will be coming with me. He is graduating with a business degree and worried about finding a job there. I was wondering what the job market is like in UC for someone like him? He would be okay managing a bar or doing something along those lines as long as he was making enough to support both of us (not including my law school tuition). We have some friends up there from highschool that play on the Illinois football team so we are going to be BIG supporters! Are the law students big into the football team? Tailgates, etc? Thanks!!

I can't really say much about the job market in Champaign or Urbana. It's not super great, but not terrible either. I haven't seen a lot of "hiring" signs. I'll ask around. I know there are a number of law students with spouses/significant others in tow.

There isn't a strong contingent of law students that go to the games. We do have an SBA tailgate that seems to consist mostly of 2Ls and 3Ls that I don't know very well. Some 1Ls have set up their own tailgates.

Yeah, living in south Florida is going to be a bit of a climate change from here to there. Bring all of your warm clothes! It's been in the teens at night for the last week, and Monday's low is going to be around 0 F.

Great school, though. I'm in the luckiest section in the entire 1L class, in my opinion... the professors have been just outstanding. (Smith, Tabb, Leipold) But from what I've heard from the other sections their professors are good too.

CrimLaw300 wrote:How are the job prospects coming out of Illinois if you want to work in Texas?

Very interested in the answer to this, as well!

I don't have any experience with the Texas job market myself, but as a general rule, the two most important variables in searching for jobs outside the midwest coming out of Illinois are 1. connections to the area (and a continued interest in the area, e.g. going back there to work/intern your 1L summer) and 2. your grades. Bottom line: if you have good grades and are from Texas (or at least have a darn good reason for wanting to work there), you'll probably be able to find a job there. I know that's super generic advice, but "job prospects" are so dependent on each individual (grades/work experience/interview ability/etc. etc.) that it's hard to really quantify.

Barbie wrote:Hi! Recently accepted to Illinois, which was my biggest reach (huge, huge reach haha), so I am THRILLED and 98% sure I'll be there in August. I've never even been to Illinois, though. I live in south Florida, so its going to be a HUGE change for me, no doubt. (My fav. professor/mentor attended Illinois Law, and she is who really got me into it). My boyfriend will be coming with me. He is graduating with a business degree and worried about finding a job there. I was wondering what the job market is like in UC for someone like him? He would be okay managing a bar or doing something along those lines as long as he was making enough to support both of us (not including my law school tuition). We have some friends up there from highschool that play on the Illinois football team so we are going to be BIG supporters! Are the law students big into the football team? Tailgates, etc? Thanks!!

I'm a 3L and we've always had a pretty big football contingent - so I guess it depends on the class - but you shouldn't have any trouble finding a law student tailgate (or two, or three) to go to. This year the SBA had a tailgate at every home game.

As far as jobs, it's hard to say. Probably best to do some online hunting for job listings to see what's out there. I know a lot of people with significant others who came along, they're all working (well, at this point everyone's been here 2.5 years so a lot of people have had a few jobs) but doing everything from retail to social work to getting another degree... the good news is that rent and cost of living here are really low so it doesn't take much to get by.

Thanks for the responses!! I'm scheduling a visit soon. I can't decide if I should wait until ASD, or if I should go ahead and come up there next month or so. My dad is coming with me, and for undergrad we enjoyed walking around the campuses at our own pace and meeting a few professors/admissions people by ourselves. I think ASD would be fun, though, because I would get to meet future classmates of mine. Do you guys think I would really miss a lot by not doing the scheduled ASD and coming up for a Friday? I plan on spending the day Friday on campus meeting people/touring and then spending the weekend touring the town, looking at houses for sale, etc.

Barbie wrote:Thanks for the responses!! I'm scheduling a visit soon. I can't decide if I should wait until ASD, or if I should go ahead and come up there next month or so. My dad is coming with me, and for undergrad we enjoyed walking around the campuses at our own pace and meeting a few professors/admissions people by ourselves. I think ASD would be fun, though, because I would get to meet future classmates of mine. Do you guys think I would really miss a lot by not doing the scheduled ASD and coming up for a Friday? I plan on spending the day Friday on campus meeting people/touring and then spending the weekend touring the town, looking at houses for sale, etc.

I didn't go to the ASW and sometimes I feel like I missed stuff (like, apparently they all got fleece blankets or something), but for the most part I don't think it made much difference.

That being said, unless you really like snow and cold, I don't recommend visiting over the next month or so. That, and the campus area will probably be pretty dead while people are gone for the holidays. I'd suggest waiting until February, when classes have picked up again and people are more out and about.

NancyBotwin wrote:I didn't go to the ASW and sometimes I feel like I missed stuff (like, apparently they all got fleece blankets or something), but for the most part I don't think it made much difference.

We also got super spiffy T-shirts. Oh yes, be jealous.

The ASD was nice, but a lot of what we were told then was re-told to us at Orientation. It's nice to meet some people that are already committed to Illinois, but of the group of guys I hung out with at the ASD, only one of them actually ended up coming here.